Improvement in machinery tor moving coal or other minerals



JOI-IN EASTBURN WOOTTEN, OF READING, PENNSYLVANIA.

Letters Patent 1Y0. 104,093, elated Juno 7, 1870.

IMPROVEMNT IN MACHINERY FOR MOVING COAL OR OTHER MINERALS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of thesame I, J onsv EASTBURX .Woorrnsg of Reading, in the county of Berks andState of Pennsylvania, have invented certain improvements in Machineryfor Moving Anthracite Coal, or other minerals, of which Vthe followingis a specication.. l

. AYtturc and Object of the Invention.

At the terminal points of the important coal-bearing railroads itbecomes necessary, in the absence of a constant and adequate su ppl y ofvessels or boats, to empty the railroad cars of their contents upon thewharves at such terminal points, in order that the cars may bepromptlyreturned to the lnines for reloading; thus there is often a largeaccumulation of coal upon the.wharves, which heretofore has only beenplaced in the Aholds of vessels or boats by means of hand wheelbarrowsyand this being a very expensive, as well as a laborious and very slowoperation, I have devised the following-described apparatus for thepurpose of cheapening and facilitating the movement of the coal from thewharf to the vessel.

Description of the Accompanying .Draft-ing,

Figure l is a perspective view.

Figure 2, a ground plan.

Figure 3, a longitudinal section on the line t b.

Figure 4, anend view of one of the barrows.

Figures 5 and (i, detached views of part of the barrow.

General Description.

A is an endlessbelt or band, of wire rope or other suitable material,upon which, at any desired inter- "vals, should be placed the carriers BB B.

Motion is imparted to the endless band A by means of the drum C, which,in turn, is impelledrby a steamengine, or any other convenient oretlicient motive power. Y

D is a barrow, of any convenicntcaparity. I prefer,

however, that it should contain live hundred and sixty pounds, or onequarter of a gross ton of coa-l. This barrow is so constructed that itis readily lifted up at its rear when loaded, and when so lifted itscontents will be discharged from the front end without dili` culty. v

At the rearend of the barrow isa drag-bar, E, which is secured to thebarrow by means of the straps c c, but which do not hold the bar sotightly as to prevent its vertical movement when necessary. v

The lower end `of the bar E is bifnrcated, for the purpose of straddling the endless band A, as hereinafter described.

G is an inclined plane, the object of which is to elevate the barrow Dto a sniiicient height that the contents may-witll-facility be dumpedinto the hold of a vessel lying at the wharf', beyond the outer end ofthe plane.

lo this outer end ofinclined plane G is hinged the vplatform H, which,by means of the supporting pins K l, is rendered adjustable, betweennprights J J to any height that may be Arequired for facilitating thedumpage of the coal int-o vessels, under the varying conditions of therise and fall of tide and thc settling f the vessel under increasingload.

The platform H is hinged, so that when not in use it may be hoisted towithin the wat-er line of wharf.

On the under side of platform H is placed a drum, M, around which theband A passes, and to which it is guided by the sheaves N O. Y

I I are tramways, upon which the barrow I) is moved, and which guidesits direction.

Having thus described the construction of my improved apparatus, I willendeavor to describe its inode otoperation, which is as follows:

Steam, or other motive power, having been applied to cause drum C torevolve, the endless band A is thereby set in motion.

The barrow D, having been lledwith coal, is placed upon the tramway.rlhe bar Eis then allowed to fall so that its lower end shall straddlethe band A.

1When, by the movement of the band A, the carrier B is brought intocontact with the bar E, the barrow I) is started and impelled until itreaches the sheavc N, at which point the rope is deflected, and passingdownward, thereby becomes detached from the end of bai-E. rlhe barrowhaving thus been delivered to very near the required point, it is onlynecessary to move it to the chock-block R, when the rear end can beraised and the contents discharged, after which it is placed upon thereturn tramway, the bar E placed in position upon the band A, and thebarrow returned to the point at which it may be desirable to rell it.

Claims.

1. rIhe combination of the two parallel tracks l? P, an endless ropepassing forward at the center of one track and returning at the centerof the other, and a4 platform extending beyond' the ends of bot-htracks, and beyond sheaves which conduct the said rope below theplatform, as described.

2. The said platform, arranged, in respect to the outer ends of thetracks, as described, when adjust-

